Monday, January 23, 2012

Chocolate-Cinnamon Valentine's Cookies

Nothing says I love you like chocolate, unless it's chocolate shaped like a heart. :)

And, mmm boy, do I love these cookies. I'm not usually a chocolate-cookie kind of gal, but now I realize that I'm definitly a chocolate-cinnamon cookie kind of gal. These cookies are fantastic!

I once had a wonderful Mexican hot chocolate that had cinnamon in it, and it's a complete mystery to me why it's been so long since trying the chocolate-cinnamon combination again. It really is delicious--kind of warm, kind of complex tasting. I found myself wondering how these would taste with just the tinsiest dash of cayenne in them? Probably fabulous.

Then, just for kicks I tried sprinkling them with powdered sugar for a different look.

Super yummy cookies, and I highly recommend making them for someone you love.

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, being careful not to overmix. Chill the dough several hours, preferably overnight. (The dough is quite soft, so I actually rolled mine out between pices of plastic wrap to cut down on the sticking-to-everything-under-the-sun issue.)
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface--1/8 to 1/4" depending on how thick you want them.
5. Cut into desired shapes and place on baking sheets. Bake for 5-6 minutes, more if the cookies are thicker. Let cool completely.
6. Melt bittersweet chocolate and shortening on 50% power in the microwave. Dip half of the each cookie into the chocolate and lay on parchment or waxed paper and let the chocolate harden.
Enjoy!

Just made a batch of these cookies for Valentine's day and absolutely loved them! Cinamon adds subtle smokey flavor and they are not too sweet. I think I will make them every Valentine's day. Thank you so much for sharing!!